Making Sense

Can you name the five senses? Traditionally, the human senses have been classified as: hearing, sight, smell, taste and touch. These days, scientists generally agree that we have more than five. (And animals have even more!) No wonder DFTV found so many fascinating things to study in these Super Sense investigations:

Double Dutch jump rope aficionados Francesca, Precious, and Marnicka want to know: Does hearing or seeing the ropes have a bigger effect on our performance, or are both these senses equally important?

New Yorkers Tarissa and Sabrina live in one of the world’s noisiest cities. So they just have to ask: Are the sounds of the city as loud as we think they are?

Maddy and Martina think the human brain is the most fascinating “machine” of all. Their DFTV question is all about perception: How well can people pay attention to two things at once?

Leah, Folabi and Julie noticed that if they have a cold, food doesn’t taste the same. That got them thinking about how smell and taste are related. Their question: What does your nose have to do with how things taste?

Dog trainers Elizabeth and Caitlin always thought dogs were colorblind. Their DragonflyTV question: Can Sassie and Chime see colors or are they really colorblind?

Volleyball players Brittney and Maggie know that communication is important in their sport. But how much is too much? Their DragonflyTV query: Is talking on the court helpful or just plain distracting?

Ace investigators Paige and Nick know that animals use scent to identify each other, find a mate, mark their territory, and defend themselves. So the two couldn’t help but wonder: What smells good to animals?

Meet some fascinating Real Scientists whose work makes a whole lot of sense! Audio Engineer Joseph Pompeii steers sound for a living. Meanwhile Dairy Scientist Phillip Tong employs his taste buds to come up with tasty new ice cream flavors. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it!